Monster Mini Golf

When Summer rolls around, I'm always looking for a good place to play some Mini Golf.  In previous years, I've looked to the Jersey Shore for the best locations.  Whether it was Seaside, Point Pleasant, or Wildwood, you were guaranteed fun in the sun.  But a few days ago, my girlfriend and I were looking for something more local.  We wanted something to do, and Mini Golf sounded like a good time, so we turned to Google and put our hopes in her hands.  As always, Google came through and presented us with "Monster Mini Golf" in Paramus, NJ.  Boom.

From what we read, Monster Mini Golf was an indoor, monster-themed, golf course that featured glow-in-the-dark props and animatronics.  On paper, that couldn't be any cooler.  But when we arrived and saw the tiny building, I really didn't know what to expect.  It's small and the only decorative features were the silly stickers on the doors and some distress around the "scary" windows.  I'm also not a huge fan of the logo above the door, but none of that was enough for me to walk away.  We had to get in there and give this place a shot.

Right off that bat, as soon as we walked in, I knew I was judging the book by its cover because I was completely wrong.  As soon as I saw that gigantic tree, grimacing with terror, I knew I was in, particularly for me, an amazing place.  It's no secret that I absolutely love Halloween and all that comes with it, so this was already, far and away, ahead of every other Mini Golf site I had ever been to.  Sure, the beaming sun can be nice at times, but nothing beats a gloomy glow-in-the-dark experience surrounded by wicked trees and monsters.

Everything, even the warning labels, were illustrated and painted with glow-in-the-dark ink to illuminate you as you walked through the black lit course.  I was having so much fun looking at everything, that we might have spent more time snapping pictures and discussing the environment than actually golfing.  But that was fine, because the place was empty.  And that's not to say Monster Mini Golf can't attract a crowd, we just happened to go on a weekday when kids were in school and most people were still at work.  That worked out for us, but that meant there was no in-house DJ.  Can't blame them for not paying somebody for the 4-5 people that occupied the space.  However, the music they did play over the PA system was great.  It wasn't anything out of "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th," but more of an updated Drew's Famous Halloween Party Favorites.  Great vibe.

Everywhere you went, there was some type of creature or creeper.  Now, this guy didn't move, but he swayed just enough to make you think he might.  In fact, I wasn't positive that there wasn't a person inside that costume.  But I figured, if you're not paying a DJ, you're probably not paying a guy to stand like a statue for 5 hours a day.  Embarrassing fear averted.

When it comes to the art, this was my favorite piece at Monster Mini Golf.  They're is a bigger story being told here.  These are the jurors on the "Big Apple vs Jersey Devil" case.  They're obviously taking a shot at NY here by insinuating that our Jersey Devil can take a bite out of their ironically small "Big Apple."  Being from Jersey, I'll take it.  But the jurors are what truly make this special.  Just take a look at Jack Nicholson reprising his role from "The Shining" or, even better, Chief Brody chumming into the famous Amity Island waters as Jaws rises up out from the ocean.  It's one of my favorite scenes in movie history, but coloring Brody to be a green frankenstein monster is just awesome.  If there's ever a remake, I hope it looks something like this.

I have no idea what he's supposed to be.  My first thought was that he looked like Michael Myers.  From afar, that's who I thought he was.  But upon closer review, he's obviously some type of vampire and there's so many things to say about him.  First of all, looking at his hair, he's either very fashionable or doesn't care at all.  It's hard to say, but he certainly walks that fine line perfectly.  He also paints his nails blue and only feasts on green blood.  In fact, I think I've figured it out.  This vampire is a vegetarian hipster.  Whenever you have a hard time figuring out what's going on with a person, just assume they're a hipster.  Works every time.

This guy was really cool!  He's a giant troll or ogre that isn't done justice in this picture.  He was probably 15 feet tall, maybe taller, and completely animatronic.  When I snapped this, he was "sleeping," but his belly still rised up and down as he breathed in and out.  Then, when he finally woke up, he was angry.  His head, eyes, and mouth moved as he yelled at the golfers who had awakened him from his slumber.  Unfortunately, he's very senile because, as I said, there weren't enough people in the place to wake him up.  Go back to sleep, troll.  It's okay.

Monster Mini Golf really doesn't want you swinging your club above your knee.  I couldn't imagine why anybody would do so while playing miniature golf, but I guess there are always the losers who think they're Tiger and want to wack that ball against the wall.  Better watch yourself,  the Creature from the Black Lagoon will hit you over the head with his green club.

I couldn't get enough of the ambiance.  It didn't feel like June, it felt like October.  Any time you place a Jack-O-Lantern down around me, whether it's real or decorative, it's instantly Halloween.  I don't think there is anything more symbolic of Halloween than a grimacing pumpkin.

I tried to look as if I was frightened on the course, but the real fear was due to the fact that my girlfriend and I were still tied through 11 holes.  That just can't happen.  She always tells me that I'm supposed to let her win, but that aint happenin' sister!  I'm competitive and love to win.  Winning isn't everything, but the only other thing is losing.  I'd rather take the former :)

If you're a fan of illustration and design as much as I am, you'll truly appreciate the walls of Monster Mini Golf.  It's incredible art and I'm happy there wasn't a rush behind us because we really got to admire it and view it for what it is.  If we had 20 people waiting behind us, we would have stormed through and miss the detail.  I couldn't tell if they were actually painted on the walls or printed, but the fact is somebody somewhere designed these pieces and I respect their work.  Great stuff!

Having all that alone time on the course allowed us to play around and get some funny pictures.  I'm not posting them all, but this one was one of my favorites.  This gargoyle came out of nowhere and stole my ball.  I tried to be a tough guy and get it back, but I couldn't compete with those red eyes of terror.  And this paragraph? More proof that I'm a major nerd ;)

More amazing art on the walls and I love how they've poked fun at real-life retail stores.  My personal favorite of the three is "Worst Buy."  Not because of the play on words, but because of what the blue punk rocker lost as he got electrocute by the laughing flat screen  It looks like he had just purchased "Friday The 13th," "The Walking Dead," and "Hannibal" on DVD.  But he's not getting to keep any of them.  Worst Buy is taking his money and re-stocking the DVDs!

 

The final hole and, by this point, I had already beat my girlfriend and succeeded in game 1 of Monster Mini Golf.  I am undefeated in Paramus and the only thing left to do was knock this ball up the evil clown's mouth and call it a hole in one.

Easy, baby!  In fact, it was too easy and obviously just a way for them to get their ball back.  But this wasn't the only hole in one I got at Monster Mini Golf.  Surprisingly, I unexpectedly rocked a previous hole to take a commanding lead only to lose it by getting a 5 on a hole that my girlfriend received a 2.  That sounds a lot more complicated than it is.  To sum it up, I won, she lost, and she'll be upset with me when she reads this.

The coolest part about Monster Mini Golf, besides it's decor, is that it's also an arcade.  It's mostly ticket-based, but it's much cheaper than the Jersey Shore boardwalk stands and crane games.  For $20, we played skee ball, pinball, rode in one of those 3-D simulator rides, and, of course, shot some baskets in pop-a-shot.  I'm a huge basketball fan, as evident by my attire, so I never EVER turn down a game of pop-a-shot or, in this case, 10 games.  My girlfriend is very good so, in this case, we alternated wins, but I got the high score.

Monster Mini Golf is such an amazing time and we truly enjoyed our experience.  When I got home, I did a bit more research and I learned that Monster Mini Golf is actually a franchise and there are 6 locations in New Jersey alone.  They can also be found in 13 other states.  From what I read, there is one in Las Vegas that is KISS-themed and is considered their flagship location.  That's probably awesome.

But from the one that I've seen so far, I can understand why these locations are so popular and I wouldn't be surprised if anybody reading has already visited a site.  I think I'm a bit late to the party, but happy to have gone at all.  We'll definitely be back and we'll make sure it's sooner rather than later.  In my personal opinion, this is far superior than any other course I've played on and I base that all on the environment alone.

Check out Monster Mini Golf to find your closest location.  Then go there and enjoy!

Hi-C Ecto Cooler

  

If you're a fan of The Holidaze, you know that I really don't keep up with it outside of September and October.  I really do intend on keeping up with it, but I fall out of the Holidaze spirit after Halloween, start buying presents for Christmas, and the next thing ya know, there's not much left to talk about.  Last year, I posted a few things in June.  I talked about some cookies and Pop-Tarts.  It was fun, it was interesting, but again, I didn't keep up with it as the months went by.  I'm not making any promises this Summer, but I am back now and I'm connecting the past to the present.

If you remember, my Halloween came to abrupt end thanks to Hurricane Sandy.  Before the blackout, this was a topic I had planned on posting.  In fact, it was something I was saving for Halloween day.  Obviously it didn't get posted, but it is now.  Let's take a little bit of Halloween 2012 and connect it to Summer 2013 as we transition into the next Holidaze..

Make Your Own Hi-C Ecto Cooler!

I've always been a fan of nostalgia, and The Ghostbusters are high on my list of throwbacks thanks to Slimer.  I absolutely loved him as a kid!  I think I had a thing for the color green because he, along with the Ninja Turtles, were a huge part of my childhood.  I had every toy and product they pumped out.  I guess that's why my favorite color is green.  Who knows?

But do you remember Ecto-Cooler?  Man, what an awesome drink that was.  Hi-C hit a home run with that one and, to this day, I can't think of a cooler drink for kids.  Pun intended!

I didn't come up with the recipe, but I found one online and knew I had to try it.  The reviews were top-notch and taste-test approved.  That was enough for me!

Most of the ingredients were easy to find, but not Tangerine Kool-Aid was impossible.  I looked everywhere, but I could only find orange or "mandarin."  That just wasn't going to cut it.  Ecto-Cooler was known for its distinct Tangerine flavor so it had to be done right.  The solution? Ebay! 89 cents a packet and I had 10 in my mailbox in less than a week.  Now I was ready to rock!

I took all the ingredients and poured them into an empty gallon.  At this point, it just looked like a big container of orange juice.  But I figured this had to work.  I did everything right, I scoured the streets for Tangerine Kool-Aid, I found it and combined it with more sugar than I ever thought I'd pour.  Ecto-Cooler was almost complete, but you all know it can't stay orange!  It's time to add the green food coloring!

Ehhhh... It's okay.  It's not bad.  It's definitely not the color green I remember, but it's as close as I'm going to get.  When you combine green food coloring with orange, you get sewer.  It's not pretty or bright.  It doesn't remind me of Slimer, but I know it's green and that's good enough for me.  Besides, when you pour it into a cup, it's still pretty cool.

Okay, well, it looks like I took a few of those leaves from the background and mashed them up to create some type of vegetarian cocktail.  Thankfully, when it comes to flavor, this is far from healthy.  No, when you take a sip of this Ecto-Cooler re-creation, you'll know that this IS Ecto-Cooler!  It's not orange, it's barely tangerine, it is something entirely different.  The combination of ingredients and flavors makes for a nostalgic kick that brings you back to a time when everything was easier.  One sip and you're a 4-year-old kid again.  It's pretty amazing.  Sure, the process is a bit messy and it can even be expensive.  But if you want to drink this classic again, this is as close as we may get.

Hi-C has released Ecto-Cooler since the days of Slimer on the front.  It came in green and orange and had the exact same flavor.  I don't remember it because I was mainly drawn in by Slimer himself, but the Internet tells me so and I believe it.  Why Hi-C hasn't released the flavor once again is beyond me, but I'd like to believe that we haven't seen the end of Hi-C Tangerine or, what it will always be known to me, Ecto-Cooler.

As I was searching through Ebay auctions, I was hoping to come across an actual Ecto-Cooler carton or can, but no such luck.  So, being the creative genius that I am, I once again turned to the Internet.  I found a printable replica of the box on Google images and printed it out on sticker paper.  It was fitted to the box so all I had to do was cut it out and stick it on an Orange Lavaburst Hi-C carton.  Of course, I dumped out that crappy orange and poured in the custom Ecto-Cooler.  Now, I really couldn't get any closer to the old days.

The best part of making this drink in October for Halloween?  It lasted me through the blackout and gave me a flavor to associate with the time.  When I think of Halloween 2012, I think of sitting in the dark with my family with a few glasses of Ecto-Cooler.  For as annoying as that time was, it really wasn't all that bad.  Pretty "cool, " huh?

Take my advice and make your own Ecto-Cooler.  If you remember the drink or were a kid when it came out, you owe it to yourself to have that burst of nostalgia.  The flashback is insane.  They say smell is the strongest tie to memory, but I'd bet taste is second because this was a rush.  Although, it also could have been all that sugar :)

Hey, Hi-C, bring Ecto-Cooler back and give the next generation of kids something to remember!

4th of July - "Zombie Holidaze"

This is always the time of year where things die down.  But, it's also the calm before the storm.  We're just months away from September, the Halloween season, and this blog picking up again.

I wish I could motivate myself to stay on top of The Holidaze throughout the entire year.  It's always my plan.  I always intend on keeping it up and, even now, as I type this, I get a thrill from knowing these words will reach hundreds of people around the world.  It's not a huge site, by any means, but it's fun and I do enjoy it.

But what can you do to celebrate May?  I'm not going to go out and spend all my money on Mothers Day presents.  I don't think there's any interest in that, here.  June is pretty dull, despite the incredible heat making its way into my life.  July is something, though.  We have the 4th of July and that usually brings some cool stuff.  We get those Red, White, and Blue Chips Ahoy cookies and that always makes my month.

But is there anything else we can do to celebrate?  Well, allow me to introduce to you - the first in my line of Holidaze T-Shirts "Zombie Holidaze"

I love zombies as much as I love Halloween and, believe me, that's a whole lotta love to go around.  While talking to Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit, he suggested that I use TeeSpring.com to display my art and see if their is any interest.  If there is, I'd love to continue this line featuring Zombies on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc..  It would make a cool line of Zombie Holidaze T-Shirts!

But, they only get made with YOUR help!

So, if you're interested.. go to http://teespring.com/ZombieHolidaze4thofJuly and reserve your "Zombie Holidaze" T-Shirt NOW!!

Thank you, in advance :)

Halloween Milk

 

It's November 10th and we're still talking about Halloween.  And really, why not?  So many people throughout the country have been affected in so many different ways this Halloween.  Between now and Thanksgiving, there's nothing but a lull anyway.  Sure, there are some who have already embraced the Christmas season and have moved past spooky things.  But, for others, this is down time before we feast.  So, again, due to my own personal circumstances and those who missed out on Halloween, we're gonna keep on truckin'.  I have at least two more quality posts to write before we put this season to bed.  With Thanksgiving only 12 days away, and Christmas right around the corner, that should bridge nicely between one Holidaze and another.

Seasonal milks seem to be the new fad as of recently.  Last year, we found the Red Velvet Holiday milk at Target.  Now this year, we find TruMoo Holiday milk at Wal-Mart in both Vanilla and Chocolate flavors.  There are two cool aspects to these.  First, the label art is great!  TruMoo could have gone with a more "Fall" approach and last on shelves longer, but they chose "Halloween" and that couldn't be any more perfect.  Not only did they make a ghoulish logo for "TrueMoo," but they made two separate labels for each flavor.  So Vanilla features a spooky pumpkin and tombstone, while chocolate brings us the haunted house, ghost, and "No Trespassing" type sign.

But the coolest part?  The fact that Vanilla TruMoo is colored Orange.  That's enough!  That was the selling point for me!  Had it been white, I would have kept walking.  But they did a great job.

Now, in the past, I've complained about the lack of decorative Halloween boxes from Kellogg's.  It's not because I hate Kellogg's, it's just that I know what they're capable of and hate seeing the holidays go to waste.  Throw a mask on Tony the Tiger, and we're good to go.  Add in a few Halloween marshmallows, and I'm set for a season.  

Last year, I didn't find any Halloween cereal boxes from Kellogg's, but this year is a different story.  Pictured above, we have plain old regular Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies, but they're in their Halloween costumes for the year!  The graphics are awesome and even if they didn't add in any special treats, it's good enough.  Especially when you want to add your Halloween Milk into Halloween Cereal.  See where I'm going with this?

Rice Krispies in Orange Vanilla TruMoo Milk tastes a lot better than it looks.  It looks like the milk went bad or, at the very worst, that you're about to eat chunky vomit.  Sorry for the graphic detail, but believe me, it's really good!  It may not look like your typical bowl of cereal, but who wants that on Halloween, anyway?  Throw some orange in there and change it up.  Look for this next year and give it a try!

This one really didn't make any difference.  Chocolate milk definitely have a different taste than that of regular milk or even the milk that becomes chocolate by the time you're done with Cocoa Krispies, but it wasn't very noticeable.  I guess you could say it tasted much more chocolatey from the start, rather than the bowl progressing as time goes on, but either way, it's really good.  Plus, it looks dark and evil like that haunted house on the label so that helps.

My only regret was not mixing the orange milk in with the chocolate Cocoa Krispies.  How did I overlook that?  Even if that tasted like garbage, that makes for the perfect Halloween color combo!  I'll have to remember to up my game next year!

Times Scare

Well before the Hurricane hit, my Girlfriend, my Cousins, and I took the train over to NY for a night out at "Times Scare."  I read about this online and I was excited to check it out because it provided two main attractions that I was interested in.  The first was the Haunted House.  I'll never turn down a good Haunted House and, because this Times Scare attraction is open all year-round, I figured this one would be amazing.  Plus, it also featured the "Crypt Cafe."  That's what I was really excited about.  It was a Halloween-themed restaurant.  How is that not a good time?

The Crypt Cafe was up first.  When we sat down at our Medical Slab tables (great touch) we waited for our waitress while I snapped that picture.  What is it?  That's the kitchen.  That's where the food was cooked and came out from.  How cool is that?  It's like our food was made by a demonic butcher.  It looks red, it looks plastic, it looks bloody.  Things were starting off great!

 

We weren't particularly hungry, but we wanted to at least try the appetizers.  Let me tell ya, the service here was pretty horrible.  Our waitress was nice and seemed to be doing as much as she could, but they were sooo slowww.  It was like they forgot all about us for 30 minutes.   We weren't in a rush, so it wasn't much of a problem, plus I'm not one to complain, but it was definitely something we took notice of.  If you're open all year-round, you should probably be on point.  I can't imagine it being easy to pay rent in Times Square when you're primarily a Halloween attraction.

Pictured above, we have the "Bat Wings," which were basically chicken wings.  They look burnt, but they weren't.  They were died black to appear as if they're bat wings.  It was a nice touch and, overall, they tasted pretty good.  But to be honest, I was more interested in drinking at that point.  They had really cool options on the menu.

 

So, as soon as these monster nachos came out, covered in just about everything you could imagine, we narrowed down our alcoholic choices and planned on living it up in New York City.  The drinks were probably the main reason I decided to mention the Crypt Cafe to my dynamic duo and, specifically, it was this Embryoelectroplasma shot.  It looks evil, it looks demonic, it looks disgusting, it looks like Halloween!!

My girlfriend had no interest in drinking underdeveloped babies, but my cousin and I had to give this a "shot."  These twins were meant to be thrown back, regardless of what they tasted like.  The menu said it was fruit with a hit of peach schnapps so we weren't expecting anything strong, but still, what were those "babies" made out of?  It looks like Kahlua or Bailey's, but there was only one way to find out.

Well, let me tell you, I have no idea what those babies were, but they were gross and chunky.  I have a rule that once you start taking a shot, you can't stop.  If you don't know what you're about to drink, then you either turn it down or go all the way.  There's no in between.  Well, as soon as I swallowed that first chunk, I knew the next three swigs were going to be just as rough.  It was horrible.  It wasn't the flavor, it was the texture.  The fruity blood at the bottom tasted great, but it wasn't easy getting there.  I think it's safe to say that I'll never take this shot again, but it was one of the highlights of my night and I'm glad we did it for Halloween.

Do you know what that is?  That's Absinthe! I've heard crazy things about Absinthe and I always wanted to try it.  I know it was outlawed in The United States until recently because of it's hallucinogenic inducing abilities (no idea if that made sense) but it's here now and I was excited to try it.  Apparently it's 120 proof and helped Edgar Allan Poe write his creepy classics.  I was ready to throw it back and start writing cryptic tales of birds and murder.  But first, it had to be prepared. 

Once it was ready, my cousin Phil and I were ready to go. My girlfriend sat this one out and chose to go with a safer drink of choice, but she changed her mind later that night, anyway.

The smell was intense and the aroma was really throwing me off.  It smelled like licorice and I realllly hate licorice.  Friends of mine told me how great this tastes and how much they liked it, but I'm guessing they like licorice because that's exactly what this was.  This was like somebody melted a black string of licorice, dyed it green, and told me to drink it for a hallucination.  The result?

They say a picture says a 1,000 words, and It's safe to say this one says at least that much.  My cousin Phil (in the yankee hat) looks like he just drank gasoline.  He looks like his life has come to an end.  Me?  All I can do is stare at him with the look of despair.  As if to say "Did we seriously just drink that?"  I think my eyebrows actually say more.  "Do we really have THIS much left before it's over?"  Yeah, it was that bad.  I hated it, but I loved what it represented and what it was supposed to do.  I didn't wind up seeing any Ravens, but, regardless of what our mugs say, it provided a nice feeling for the night.  

It looks pretty or, in the case of Halloween, it looks spooky.  Ya can't beat drinking a lime green drink at any time of the year.  But don't let it fool you, it looks so much better than it tastes and, for that reason, multiple photos were necessary.

My girlfriend ordered her own Absinthe after we did and it wasn't quite as strong.  Trust me, it didn't taste any better, but didn't hit as hard as the first two.  If, for nothing else, it makes for a great picture of my beautiful lady with a classic drink. 

We went a different route in our pose.  We wanted to warn you all that this drink is serious.  It's out to get you.  If you don't like licorice, it will attack your taste buds and demolish your throat on the way down.  It's dangerous and, for Halloween, what else could you ask for?  In all seriousness, it's a fun drink for October.  I'd drink it again and really push it's potential, but I'd rather a different flavor.  How about, instead of licorice, we go with Strawberry Twizzlers?  Same family, different impact.  Make it happen, Lucid!

It was now time to move on to the Haunted House so we got in line and waited about 45 minutes before getting inside.  Outside, they had a few characters walking around, but nothing like Blood Manor.  They did things right, inside and out.  Times Scare was a disappointment, but their decorative items throughout the halls were impressive.  Unfortunately, that was about as impressive as it got in terms of Haunted Houses.

 

When a building is completely decorated, from floor to ceiling, with realistic spider webs, a monstrous  Sistine Chapel, fake dirt and rust, you assume that the performances inside will be just as awesome.  I really wish I could say they were, but I was let down.  Most of the time, we walked through empty rooms, without any actors at all, only to find poorly decorated rooms with little to no props.  I don't get it.  You're open all year round, so why not put more effort into your main event?

To top things off, this guy popped out from his eternal slumber and stole my girlfriend.

Eh, he seems kinda skinny to me..

Seriously, to conclude, I wouldn't go to Times Scare again.  It has sooo much potential that you find yourself cheering the place on, just hoping that they would reach the brass ring and become one of the greats, but it lets you down just when you think it's going to be great.  I give it a 6 out of 10 and, in my book, that's failing.  I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, but I'd definitely have you check out the Crypt Cafe for the awesome Halloween drinks.  But that's it.  Don't buy any tickets, don't waste your money, just drink.. then go to Blood Manor.

Halloween is Over?

It's unfortunate, but the Halloween Holidaze did not end the way I wanted it to.  Due to Hurricane Sandy, I was left without power in Jersey City.  Believe me, that is nothing compared to the damage Sandy inflicted on the Jersey Shore, Queens, Manhattan, Hoboken, and Staten Island.  There are people left without homes and, in the worst cases, there are those who lost loved ones.  Going through 7 days without the capabilities of posting a blog about Halloween is, understandably, the least of anybody's concerns.

For the rest of the country, Halloween went as planned.  I was fortunate enough to enjoy the weekend prior to October 31st, but we were hit that Monday and, for the first time in my life, Halloween was officially canceled.  There was nothing we could do and canceling was the right thing to do.  To make it up to the kids and 25-year-old nerds, Governor Christie reschedule Halloween for yesterday, November 5th.  That would have been great if I had any way of enjoying it.  I was working and completely missed out on the second Halloween of 2012.  It's not that bad, really, because I start celebrating so early anyway.  But, I still refuse to accept that Halloween is over.  How could it be?

I didn't watch any Halloween or Friday the 13th movies, I didn't make any Halloween cupcakes, and I barely lived up the last two weeks of October.  Nope, sorry Sandy, Halloween isn't over until I say it is.  I have a few more posts left in the arsenal.  And since I'm nowhere near ready for Christmas, I'm going to extend Halloween even further!

I understand if my Holidaze readers don't want to take part in any more of the season.  If you were able to enjoy the day in peace, you may be ready to move on from Halloween and on to Thanksgiving.  But if you want to enhance the Holidaze and make it longer, join me in saying "Screw you, Sandy" and get ready for a few more Holidaze posts.  I promise I'll throw 'em all at ya quick and fast so we can put this one behind us and get ready for another.